Why are some rocks on the moon highly magnetic? MIT scientists may have an answer

A large impact could have briefly amplified the moon’s weak magnetic field, creating a momentary spike that was recorded in some lunar rocks.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
May 23, 2025 ~8 min

New research, data advance understanding of early planetary formation

Led by Assistant Professor Richard Teague, a team of international astronomers has released a collection of papers and public data furthering our understanding of planet formation.

Paige Colley | EAPS • mit
May 22, 2025 ~5 min


After 50 successful years, the European Space Agency has some big challenges ahead

The space agency faces major competition from rising space powers such as China and India.

Daniel Brown, Lecturer in Astronomy, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
May 22, 2025 ~8 min

A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration

NASA hasn’t landed humans on Mars yet. But thanks to robotic missions, scientists now know more about the planet’s surface than they did when the movie was released.

Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College • conversation
May 22, 2025 ~9 min

Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy

The speed of light is the fastest anything can travel. What happens to a photon from a galaxy 25 million light years away on its journey toward Earth?

Jarred Roberts, Project Scientist, University of California, San Diego • conversation
May 20, 2025 ~6 min

In what order did the planets in our solar system form?

The biggest planets hogged a lot of the raw materials and were fully formed first.

Lucas Brefka, Ph.D. Student in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State • conversation
May 19, 2025 ~6 min

Space tourism’s growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how

Space tourism is in an exploration phase – the decisions companies make around how to conduct these experiences now will set the tone moving forward.

Betsy Pudliner, Associate Professor of Hospitality and Technology Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Stout • conversation
May 19, 2025 ~10 min

Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies

NASA’s learned a lot about the Moon since Apollo. But a perfect landing still requires incredible planning and scientific precision.

Zhenbo Wang, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
May 16, 2025 ~10 min


Listen: ‘Planet Hunter’ searches for alien life on distant worlds

An expert shares why the atmospheres of distant worlds may hold the key to one of humanity’s oldest questions: Are we alone in the universe?

U. Chicago • futurity
May 15, 2025 ~2 min

There’s growing evidence of possible life on other planets – here’s why you should still be sceptical

The recent detection of a gas in a distant plant has been linked to life forms has sparked debate among scientists.

Maria Di Paolo, PhD Candidate, School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics, University of East Anglia • conversation
May 15, 2025 ~8 min

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